Northern Japan/use of JR rail-pass

Hallvard Tangeraas wrote:
I'll be going to Japan and want to dig into as much as I can of this
country (for as long as I enjoy it and can afford to stay there).

Leaving New Zealand I'll be landing in Osaka, then immediately
travelling to Kyoto to stay there for a few days. For the rest of my
stay I'll be mostly in Kobe, staying at a place friend's of my family
know, for cheap. The plan from then on is to use a JR rail-pass to
take day-trips around the country, then going to Tokyo where I stay
for a week (or two?) until I leave the country.

I'll be using a round-the-world ticket from the Star Alliance network
of airlines, and just got the idea that I should maximize the use of
that ticket within what's possible: I could probably make an inland
flight, so I was thinking of something remote which would otherwise
cost a lot and take a lot of time.

So... the idea is that after having arrived in Osaka and stayed in
Kyoto for a few days I return to Osaka's airport and take a flight
all the way up to Sapporo in the northern island of Hokkaido, stay
there for a few days, then take a flight back to Osaka and travel to
Kobe where I'll be having my "base" while using my JR rail-pass to
travel around.


Is Sapporo worth visiting? Are there places in that area which are
nice to see? What about budget accomodation (dorms etc.)?

I'm also unsure about the use of my JR rail-pass. I haven't decided
how many weeks to buy for: 2 or 3 weeks, but it's certainly a waste
to start using it if there will be a period I won't be travelling
that much around, so I was hoping to perhaps start using it while
having arrived in Kobe, when taking those day-trips to nearby cities
like Hiroshima, Yokohama, Kobe etc.

Is it worth using the JR rail-pass for short trips (i.e. buses or
trains within city-limits) or would mony be better spent if I save
the rail-pass till I'm going on those longer trips between cities?

Just a thought, but is there a particular reason why you don't head to
Sapporo first, and then work your way down the country to Kobe?

John W.

Hallvard Tangeraas wrote:
John W. wrote:


Hallvard Tangeraas wrote:
I'll be going to Japan and want to dig into as much as I can of this
country (for as long as I enjoy it and can afford to stay there).

Leaving New Zealand I'll be landing in Osaka, then immediately
travelling to Kyoto to stay there for a few days.

[.......]


Just a thought, but is there a particular reason why you don't head to
Sapporo first, and then work your way down the country to Kobe?


Well, I basically want to experience the cherry blossoming in Kyoto,
which is the first place I'm going to. I think I'll be arriving around
1st of April 2004, and during that time I don't thing spring has
completely arrived way up north in the Sapporo area.

Why do you object to this idea? Because of wasted airmiles (since I'll
be going both back and forth)?
I don't think this matters as I've exceed the amount of miles for the
cheaper round-the-world ticket anyway, but if I can go down a notch in
price by following your suggestion I'll probably do Sapporo first like
you suggest.

Oh I didn't object; you seem to have a pretty good reason for your plan.
I was just curious.

I might have missed something at some point, but what about taking the
train to Hokkaido with your rail pass? It's much more flexible than a
plane ticket in that, should you watch the weather and see that it's
raining in Hokkaido you can perhaps detour to someplace else, spend an
extra day in Tokyo/Kyoto, or something like that. Also, you could do a
circuit of the island this way; I'd check this against your schedule.
Personally I think one thing you'll miss if you fly is the beauty of
North Japan; there are some wild places up there. I like Sendai as a
city, and there are some great Onsen in that area. Another thing is that
is good about your schedule (and then taking the train to the North) is
that you could also see the cherry blossoms in some other places that
maybe aren't as crowded as Kyoto. I don't know any specific spots, but
Kyoto will be have an incredible mass of people in the main temples.
Just a thought.

John W.

Hallvard Tangeraas wrote:

Actually I just want to be as many different places as I can, but
don't expect to see as much in detail everywhere. I think I'm going
to concentrate on the area around Kobe since that's where I'll be
staying most of the time I think (some friends of my family might
have worked out something for me!).

Kobe's a great place; I lived in Shin Kobe for a while and loved it. If
you're into hiking, take a walk to/from (or round trip) the Herb Garden
on the mountain above Kobe. There's a cable car you can take if you
want, but I used to love walking up past Nunobiki waterfalls beyond the
reservoir, then turn right up the road, go through a fascinating little
collection of houses, and on up to the gardens. If you're healthy and
have any sense of direction at all, it's not that bad, but will take the
better part of a day round trip.

John W.

I flew from Tokyo to Wakkanai (on the northern tip of Hokkaido) and
then took the ferry to Rishiri Island, a volcanic island with great
hiking. I also liked Daisetsuzan Natl Park on Hokkaido. Sapporo didn't
seem as interesting as many other places in Japan.

Bruce
Seattle, WA, USA